Press Releases

November14,2017

Washington, D.C. – Representatives Adam Smith (D-WA09) and Ted Yoho (R-FL03), co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus for Effective Foreign Assistance, led 67 of their colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney calling for open dialogue on the proposed changes to the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development:

“Any redesign of U.S. foreign assistance programs must be done in a transparent manner and in consultation with the development community and with Congress.” said Congressman Adam Smith. “Public engagement during this critical juncture is necessary in order to improve the overall effectiveness of foreign assistance and bring further stability to the world.”

“In these financially restrictive times, as the United States re-evaluates our foreign assistance programs Congress must remain involved and work with the Administration to create the most efficient and effective programs possible,” said Congressman Ted Yoho. “By doing so, we can lay out specific goals to transition countries from aid to trade as rapidly as possible for maximum effect.”

“Strong bipartisan Congressional support for foreign assistance programs is a key element of the United States’ global leadership. Over the last 15 years, Congress has worked with Republican and Democratic administrations to improve U.S. foreign assistance with powerful results, such as the Global Food Security Act and the Foreign Assistance Transparency and Accountability Act,” wrote the Members of Congress. “Given Congress’ role as the sole body in the authorizing and budgetary processes, we believe that any effort to enact reforms without a strong partnership between Congress and the Administration will not be sustainable.”

November14,2017

“Last night, the House of Representatives voted on H.Res. 599, which expressed concern over the ongoing conflict between the coalition of nations led by Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen. I voted against H.Res. 599. I believe the resolution did not go far enough to articulate Saudi Arabia’s role in creating and perpetuating the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Instead, the resolution placed a disproportionate level of blame on Iran. Iran remains a detriment to peace and stability in Yemen, however, Saudi Arabia should also be held accountable for their actions.

“It is critical that the United States not choose sides in this war. I fear that our historical relationship with Saudi Arabia has resulted in de facto support for the conflict. Understanding that this resolution was a compromise with Republicans in the House, the lack of any enforceable provision removing U.S. support was reason to vote against it. While I do believe that Saudi Arabia is an important ally in the Middle East, the fact is that the people of Yemen currently face a fractured civil infrastructure that has led to what could be the world’s largest Cholera outbreak in history – on top of blockaded ports that have stymied the flow of humanitarian supplies.

“Something must change. I am a cosponsor of H.Con.Res. 81, a War Powers resolution introduced by Representative Ro Khanna that would help stop the United States from endorsing what is a nearly intractable conflict. Congress has a critical role to play, and any American involvement can and must be debated transparently. Ultimately, we must find a way to help bring about a peaceful conclusion to this conflict, and that invests heavily in humanitarian assistance for the Yemeni people – including rebuilding their nation after this debilitating period.”

November11,2017

“On Veterans Day, we honor the men and women that served, and those who continue to serve, our country. In recognition of their sacrifice, we owe our service members our deepest gratitude.

“As the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) I am honored to work with and represent the brave men and women who have donned the uniform to represent the United States of America. One of my top priorities in Congress is to ensure that we take care of our military, as well as our veterans. We should be doing everything possible to ensure that members of our military come home to quality jobs, educational opportunities and receive the health care services that they deserve. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure that we fulfill our commitments to our service members, their families, and our veterans. Today, and every day, we honor the courage and selfless service of our veterans.”

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement on the tax plan marked-up by the House Ways and Means Committee this week:

November9,2017

“Our country’s federal government is already massively in debt and cannot sustain the tax cut President Trump and the Republicans are proposing. It is both bad economic and fiscal policy to be debating a $1.5 trillion tax bill at a time when we are already $20 trillion in debt and running deficits of nearly $700 billion. With deficits already projected to rise for the foreseeable future, this bill will have devastating impacts on our national debt and the priorities that the constituents of my district have made clear they support. We need to be able to invest in our education system, repair highways and bridges, support healthy children and families, advance scientific innovations and research, and provide for homeland security and our national defense.

“History has shown that cutting taxes does not increase revenues or grow the economy. We raised taxes in the early 1990’s, and the country experienced strong economic growth. In contrast, we slashed taxes in the early 2000’s which led to ten years of sluggish economic progress, a ballooning debt, and diminished investment in the economy. Drastic cuts like the one we will be voting on in the coming days will cause serious risks to the future health of our economy.”

November7,2017

Washington, D.C. – Today, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) made the following statement about the mishandling of criminal history data for the mass shooting perpetrator in Sutherland Springs, Texas:

“It is unbelievably devastating to hear that multiple data entry errors by the Air Force allowed someone who should have been prohibited from purchasing a firearm to buy one, and use it to kill at least 26 people. This tragedy should not have happened and these processes need to be fixed.

“These facts only reinforce the need to improve background check databases such as NICS, and expand who must receive such checks before obtaining a firearm. Systems like this can help stop horrific acts like what happened in Texas before they occur, but only when supplied with appropriate information.”